


thirty moments

by zukkis



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Zuko (Avatar), Confessions, Dadko, Drabbles, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Love, Momtara, One Shot, Secret Relationship, Smut, Zutara, katara is also an idiot, some chapters are short some are long, zuko is an idiot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:34:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27122582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zukkis/pseuds/zukkis
Summary: thirty different moments between katara and zuko. basically thirty different zutara one-shots. each chapter is a completely different story and none are connected to another. all chapters vary in length.this is ib sabinelagrande's "thirty kisses" !
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Aang/Toph Beifong, Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Jet/Katara (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44





	1. coronation

**Author's Note:**

> katara's POV  
> summary: katara has secretly had feelings for zuko for some time now, but has been too afraid to tell him. however, on the day of his coronation, she decides she has waited far too long.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> katara has secretly had feelings for zuko for some time now, but has been too afraid to tell him. however, on the day of his coronation, she decides she has waited far too long.

Zuko lets out a small grunt as Katara wraps the last of the white bandage around his right shoulder. He sits slumped against the seat he is in while Katara is seated on her knees to his right side. They are sitting in one of the rooms at the top level of the Fire Nation palace. Large windows and a balcony accompany the bright, sun-soaked room. This room, that was once dormant, has now become Zuko and Katara’s room for their daily healing sessions. It has also secretly become Katara’s room to indulge in her short moments alone with Zuko.

“Hold still, I’m almost done- okay, one more second- done!” Katara says with a warm smile as she looks up to Zuko.

She notices him let out a small sigh of relief as his left hand roams around the bandages. Her eyes follow his wandering hand until they lock on his face. 

Unintentionally, she studies his face: his sharp jaw, clenched from the slight pain that still lingers from his injuries from the day of the comet, his piercing golden eyes, and his lips, which are slightly pursed from the minor pain he must be feeling from the pressure of his hand on his injured shoulder. This was not the first time she had caught herself looking at Zuko like this. In fact, for the past few months, she had found herself often staring at Zuko, his attractive face and figure completely consuming her mind. However, it was not since the comet where Katara started to feel more than physical attraction. Her and Zuko bonded more emotionally the months after, each healing session bringing them closer and closer together. 

For a while she tried to deny her feelings, simply believing it was a silly crush or a sudden burst of feeling for saving her life. But she knew better. She knew she didn’t get completely flustered around him for no reason. She knew that every dream where Zuko would be the one she was curled up against as she slept wasn’t coincidental. She knew that when Suki questioned her about having feelings for Zuko, every word of denial she said was a lie. She knew it was much more than a crush and has been for a long time. But none of it matters. All the quick glances at him when he and no one else were looking, the butterflies, and her heart skipping a beat every time he would simply look at her, doesn’t matter because she was far too afraid to ever tell Zuko. She wants to, so bad, but she can’t seem to push past her fear of rejection. 

_I mean, why would Zuko fall for me? The Firelord, falling for a water tribe girl? Please._

Suddenly snapping out of her thoughts, she feels warmth spread across her face as she realizes how intensely she had been staring at him and quickly darts her eyes away, thankful Zuko was too distracted to notice. Once she feels her body cool down, she glances up at Zuko again, noticing the worry in his features. She hesitates a moment, but lifts her arm and softly places her hand over Zuko’s, which is laid on his chest. She slowly encloses her fingers over his and gives it a gentle squeeze. He turns to look at her.

“Zuko,” she begins tenderly, “...today is your big day! Cheer up, okay? Trust me, you will be back to normal in no time. I have no doubt in my heart about that. Just a little bit more time, I promise.” She gives him a reassuring smile. “But for now, let’s celebrate! Today’s the coronation of the new and much- _much, much_ \- improved Firelord!” She says with a wide grin, hoping it will reflect on his face. 

He looks at her with the same intensity she had moments ago. He gives her a gentle smile and embarrassingly, she feels her cheeks burn up again. To avoid the embarrassment of Zuko noticing, she quickly gets up off her knees and reluctantly removes her hand from his. She clears her throat and straightens her clothes down, mentally scolding herself for her embarrassing behavior around him.

_Spirits, Katara! Get it together! All he did was look at you! Stupid!_

Zuko slowly lifts himself off his seat and instinctively she holds out her arm for him to hold. He links his arm with hers and straightens his body. The sunrays splash from the windows behind Zuko, perfectly accentuating his tall figure and the curves of the muscles in his arms. Katara disentangles her arm from his and turns to pick up her bowl of water when Zuko grabs her upper arm. She turns to face him, her eyebrows knitted together in concern. Zuko stares deeply into her cerulean eyes, his hand still gripped to her arm. Katara feels her breath catch in her throat, her whole body reacting to the way Zuko’s eyes are staring into hers and his hand held to her arm. His grip on her arm slightly loosens and his look turns soft.

“Thank you, Katara,” he says in a low voice.

Katara feels a hint of disappointment from what he says.

_Disappointment? What were you expecting, Katara?_

“Of course, Zuko. Healing you is the least-”

“No, not that. Not _just_ that. Thank you for everything. For always being there for me. For always reassuring me and helping me at my weakest. You always know the right thing to say at any moment. And of course, for taking time out of your days to heal me. I would not be here today without you. Thank you.” He gives her a warm smile, making her heart nearly pound out of her chest. She returns the smile. 

“Actually, I would not be here without _you_.” She looks down and giggles slightly at what she’s about to say since it has become their thing to say this back and forth. “So, I think _I_ should be the one thanking _you_.” She looks back up at him and he slightly rolls his eyes while giving a chuckle. She loved his smile.

“But, really, Zuko, I’m always here for you. Always. I’m proud of you.”

He looks down at her gently, his hand that was on her upper arm slowly makes its way down to her tiny hand. He squeezes it delicately as his lip curves slightly upward as he nods in appreciation. A chill races up her spine. She feels her heart beating at a pace she would normally find concerning any other time, but when Zuko’s around, it has almost become her normal pace from how often it occurs. She looks into his eyes, searching for a sign, just any sign. But there she is in his eyes, standing in a pool of golden. Standing there is a coward. A stupid, coward in love who can’t express her feelings. Her hand is still in his and she wants it in his forever. The warmth of his hand spreading to hers forever. Who is she kidding! She wants the warmth of his whole body holding her forever. She wants to close those inches between their faces every time they part from a hug and just linger for another moment. She wants to feel his body under hers when she sleeps. She wants to feel his lips on her lips, her neck, her whole body. She wants him by her side for every coming year, no one else. She just wants him. Still staring into his eyes, which felt like years despite it being only a few seconds, she decides this has gone on too long. She needs him to know, even if he does not feel the same. She just needs him to know so that she can finally feel that aching weight in her chest finally go. She quickly gathers herself and opens her mouth to say something when Zuko cuts her off.

“So, are you leaving now? Aang was telling me he wanted to take you on another one of those ‘Appa dates’ again before the coronation,” he says flatly looking down at his free hand.

“Oh- I- um. Yeah, I guess? Actually,” she nervously laughs, “I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me.”

Zuko simply replies with one nod of his head and then drops his hand from hers. Katara falls to her side, already missing the warmth of his hand in hers. She wonders why he brought the topic up suddenly. But now is not the time to wonder, she needed to tell him, she’s tired of tiptoeing around her feelings.

“Hey, I’ve got something for you,” she says with a sparkle in her eyes. 

“What do you mean?” he asks, his eyebrow raised.

“Just a little gift from me to you, for our brand new Firelord’s grand day! Wait here, let me go grab it, it’s in the other room.”

“Katara,” he pauses. “...you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Oh, shh!” she says as she waves her hand carelessly in the air. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing too extravagant. It’s small, but I think you’ll like it. I’ll be right back! Oh! By the way, I put your robe in that chair behind you,” she says, backing towards the doors behind her, still facing him. She grins widely at him and then turns around and walks quickly out the doors, not waiting to see or hear his reaction. She glides through the hallway and turns into the room next door and holds the small box in her hands. Her eyes flutter closed as she deeply inhales to try and control her racing heart.

_This is it, Katara. Just rip off the bandage. Just tell him. This is the perfect moment. What’s the worst that can happen? He says he doesn’t feel the same. That’s it! Right? No, stop, think positive! Or on the other hand, he says he feels the same and then he grabs your face and finally kisses you. Yes, positive thinking! I could use more of that. Okay, here it goes._

Katara takes in one final deep breath before swiftly walking out the room with the small red box in her hand. The confidence she had walking out the room started to slowly simmer as she got closer to the room Zuko was currently in. Her pace slows down by each step, until she comes to a complete stop in the middle of the hallway. Her throat suddenly dry, she swallows thickly.

_Positive thinking, Katara! Positive thinking!_

She decides to follow the half of her conscience still pushing for the positive. She begins walking again when she hears murmurs coming from the room. She stops in her tracks to try and hear the voice but she’s too far. She walks silently to the side of one of the doors. She peeks her head to look inside and sees Zuko, smiling brightly, while having his robe put on by someone. She can’t see the figure until the person comes around and stands in front of Zuko. A tall, lean figure suddenly appears from around him, her silky, raven-black hair suddenly sways behind her and she instantly knows who it is. Her throat once again goes dry and her knuckles become white from how tight she is now holding the box. 

“So, does this mean you don’t hate me anymore?” She hears Zuko ask Mai.

“I think this means I actually kinda like you,” Mai replies, her hand going to cup Zuko’s unscarred cheek. 

Katara’s breathing nearly stops as she feels her chest tighten. But what Katara was about to witness was going to snip that thin thread she was desperately hanging onto. She watches as Zuko and Mai lean into each other and kiss passionately. Katara quickly turns away, her back now against the wall next to the room. Tears sting the edges of Katara’s eyes, building up rapidly by the second. Her heart feels heavier than ever and her breath is caught in her throat. She doesn’t want to cry, _what is there to cry for? He was never mine. He never will be... now._ There was no point in fighting anymore, her tears stream endlessly down her red face. Her throat burned as her cries became muffled from the free hand tightly pressing down on her mouth. Her other hand held the box, her gift to Zuko. A small emblem of a combined moon and sun, with the other side engraved with a combined fire and water to represent him and her. 

_“I rise with the sun, remember?” he says._

_“Yeah? Well, I rise with the moon.” She pauses for a moment before she continues. “We’re opposites, but in a good way! We’re like Tui and La. Yin and Yang. Fire and water. There’s no me without you and no you without me.”_

_He chuckles. “Yeah... you and me,” he says before he looks at her with a faint smile as her hands glow over his chest._

Katara clenches her eyes shut at the memory, almost painful to remember now. In the not-so-far distance, she continues to hear murmurs and faint laughs, making her heart tighten. All she wanted right now was to just vanish from the face of the earth.

She told him she would be back. She told him she had a gift. But how could she face him now?. If she even looked at his face, that same face that just had the most happy smile and blush because of Mai, she thinks she will fall apart right there. 

_Every passing day was a ticking time bomb. If I had just told him a day earlier- hell, if I had told him even a few minutes earlier, maybe- what’s the point? What’s the point in thinking about the ifs now? He’s with Mai. He kissed Mai. He wants Mai. Not me. But how will I ever know that? I swam in my fears for so long until I drowned in it. And now I’m not the one in his embrace. It’s Mai. And that’s my fault. It’s too late. I lost him._


	2. secretly mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> katara and zuko are secretly dating. when they go to the markets together, a certain someone has her eye on zuko and katara sure as hell is not happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jealous!katara and awkward!zuko hehe

Katara and Zuko walk through the markets of the Fire Nation together, careful to keep a fair distance between each other so as to not raise any suspicions. They have been secretly together for the past five months, except to the knowledge of their friends and family. They decided to keep their relationship a secret in order to avoid the criticism of Zuko’s advisors and council right away. They wanted to enjoy each other for as long as possible without the opinions of others before they revealed it to the world. 

Today, the two were finally able to go out without multiple guards following them. Zuko was able to convince them that nothing would go wrong and even if that turned out false, both of them were masters at their element and fully capable of protecting themselves. Zuko and Katara would sometimes wish to go somewhere a bit romantic, such as a dinner date. However, that would raise too many suspicions so they stick to more casual outings, such as the markets during the day. 

As they continue to stroll through town, Katara glances to her side to look up at Zuko and gives him a warm smile which he quickly responds to with the same smile. Her heart flutters in her chest the same way it did when she first started developing feelings for Zuko. Nothing has changed since, instead, it seems all of her feelings have only intensified. All she wanted to do right now was hold his hand and kiss him in front of everyone, letting the whole world know that he is hers. She hated hiding their relationship because it took everything in her not to show her affection. She wanted to jump into Zuko’s arms when she would finally see him after a day filled with meetings and not kiss him every time he made her heart race. The only time they could freely express their love was at night in the privacy of their rooms or when none of the council were around. For a while they tried to hide it from the palace servants too, but that ended when one of the servants caught them making out in- what they thought- a well hidden corner. And word spreads fast among the palace staff. Oh well. 

Katara is snapped out of her thoughts when Zuko calls her name.

“Hey, Kat. Look,” he tilts his head to the side in the direction of a stand of papayas.

Katara throws him a cold glare. He picks a papaya up and places a finger on his chin, examining it as if he was extremely intrigued.

“How about we buy some? What do you say? Or, hey, I got a better idea, let’s buy the whole cart!” He says with a wide, amused grin. 

“Ha-ha,” Katara says flatly while simultaneously rolling her eyes. “You know, you should have gone into the comedy business instead of royalty. I mean you have me nearly out of breath from how hard I’m laughing!” She crosses her arms over her chest with one of her eyebrows quirked upwards.

Zuko chuckles and puts the papaya down.

“Just teasin’,” he says and unconsciously lifts his arms to wrap them around Katara’s waist to pull her to him when he suddenly remembers where they are. He quickly drops his arms and clears his throat and Katara obscures her laugh with a hand over her mouth. Zuko lets out a frustrated groan and motions for them to start moving again after nodding his head in acknowledgement to the owner of the fruit stand. They continue walking through the town side by side while chatting and giving discrete looks until they suddenly hear someone call out Zuko’s name. They both stop in their tracks and turn around to see a group of three young girls making their way towards them.

“Lord Zuko! Hi!” One of the girls beams with a wide smile on her face. 

Zuko nods his head and simply replies with a “hello” and begins to turn back around when the girl chimes in once more.

“Oh, wait! I-I- um,” she stammers, struggling to find words to continue. 

“It seems you don’t remember me,” she nervously chuckles. “...Lee.”

Zuko’s eyebrows which were knitted together in confusion quickly shot up along with his eyes, which widened in realization.

“S-Song?” Zuko questions. The girl’s smile grows wider.

“It’s nice to see you again, Lee- oh, oops! _Firelord Zuko_ ,” she says as she places her hands on her hips and raises one eyebrow.

Zuko laughs nervously as he scratches the back of his neck. 

“Right,” he says between a few chuckles. “I guess I should apologize for that. I’m truly sorry about, you know, lying about who I am and,” he pauses and his face turns to one of regret. “And I sincerely apologize for stealing your ostrich horse. That was wrong of me and-”

“Oh no, please! No worries! I understand completely,” Song cuts him off. “It just makes me happy to know I was even a small part of your journey into-” she looks around and puts her arm up to display their surroundings, “...this. A war-free world, thanks to you.” 

Zuko smiles and the two continue to chat and Song introduces her two other friends with her. Katara stands to the side and observes their encounter. Their conversation flows smoothly as they recall the time they met. Katara also can't help but notice how beautiful Song is. She has large, warm hazel eyes and a beautiful smile. Katara feels a tinge of jealousy even though she knows all they’re doing is talking. But she wonders what happened the day they met that has them talking so comfortably. Zuko has never even mentioned her before. She feels her face heat up when Zuko glances at her and motions his hand towards her.

“Song, this is Katara, my gi- my friend. My friend,” he says with a stiff smile and a big gulp at his near slip up. 

Katara forces a smile and Song and the two girls smile back.

“Hi Katara! It’s lovely to meet you. I’ve heard about your incredible waterbending skills. Thank you so much for your help in ending the war.” 

_And she’s nice too! Ugh!_ Katara thinks.

“Oh, um- thank you so much!” Katara says genuinely, her blush becoming more evident. Song responds with a grin and a nod before turning back to Zuko.

“Lord Zuko, it truly was very nice meeting you again. I actually,” she nervously laughs. “I- um. I thought that the feelings I had for you when I first met you were only for Lee. But now it seems nothing has changed,” she says as she continues to laugh anxiously.

Katara suddenly stiffens at Song’s words. Katara shoots her head to the left to look at _her boyfriend,_ who currently has a confused expression written on his face, clearly not understanding where Song was going with this.

Katara mentally slaps her forehead. _That idiot!_

Song continues, “It looks like the sweet, quiet Lee that I met back then is just like the boy named Zuko. Except Zuko isn’t a refugee but instead the literal Firelord!” She exclaims with a chuckle. “So, I’m wondering if maybe this time I could spend a day with Zuko instead, not Lee.”

Katara grits her teeth and her eye twitches as her body fills with jealousy and rage at Song’s obvious flirting.

_How dare she? She’s flirting with my boyfriend right in front of me?! She’s got some nerve-_ Katara stops herself and realizes what she’s thinking. _Oh, right. She doesn’t know. No one knows! Ugh! Every damn girl in this nation must want Zuko! And with him apparently available, how many more will jump at the chance? And Zuko, how oblivious can he be? Sure, he’s clueless sometimes but I’m sure he knows he’s the dream for thousands of girls! Or does he? I mean, he is a total idiot when it comes to feelings._ Katara’s thought rambling is cut off when Zuko finally opens his mouth to respond.

“Oh, I-” he tensely laughs and quickly glances at Katara with a “what should I do?” look. Katara simply crosses her arms and raises her eyebrows, indicating she’s waiting for him to continue. And before he does, Song places her hand on Zuko’s upper arm.

“It’ll be fun, I promise!” She says with a hopeful look in her eyes.

It takes all of Katara’s strength to fight the urge to water whip Song’s hand off Zuko. 

“I-I don’t know, Song. I’m very busy and I don’t know if I would have time at the moment. I apologize,” Zuko says while he quickly eyed Katara multiple times during his response to see how she was reacting by the second.

“Oh. I understand, royal duties and all,” Song responds dejectedly. “But when you do get the time, send me a letter. I’d love to meet again. I’ll send a letter to the palace with my address.” 

She swiftly looks around to make sure no one is looking and so quickly, you might miss it if you blink, she kisses Zuko on the cheek and scurries away. 

Zuko stood there stunned for a moment before quickly, and nervously, turning to Katara. There she stood, mouth ajar in shock, as she glared at Song and her friends walking away in giggles. Zuko chuckles worriedly next to her and her eyes dart to him in fury. His laughter halts in a beat and he throws his arms up in defense.

“Woah, woah, hey! I didn’t do anything! She did that! Not me! So why are you looking at me like that?!” Zuko exclaims.

“But you did nothing to stop it! And her audacity to ask you out on a date, right in front of me!” Katara spits.

“Okay, first of all, I had no idea she was going to do that! If I did-” Zuko suddenly drops his volume and looks around. He lowers his body slightly closer to Katara and repeats, “If I did, don’t you think I would have stopped it? Second, while I’m not saying I was okay with it- obviously- she didn’t know I was already with someone. I mean, no one knows. So, you can’t _technically_ be mad at her.”

Katara’s mouth drops even further in disbelief at his words. 

“Wha- Are you kidding me, Zuko?! You’re defending _her_ now? I can’t believe you!” Katara bursts out and swiftly turns to walk away from him.

As she continues to walk away, she hears Zuko calling out for her to stop. His voice becomes muffled by the pounding of her heart beat in her ears. She catches a few words here and there, like her name and some mumbled curses. Seeing an opening to her left, she swiftly turns and picks up her pace as she spots an empty corner. Zuko trails behind her as he calls for her to stop and as soon as she reaches an abandoned corner, she obeys.

Zuko catches up and after taking a few deep breaths he finally manages to speak.

“Spirits, Kat.” He takes a couple more deep breaths before straightening himself up. “That was a good workout,” Zuko says amusedly.

However, Katara was not amused, _at all_. She glares at him, her look cold as ice. Zuko’s smirk drops, clearly not reading the room well. He swallows deeply.

“Just hear me out, okay? I was not defending her asking me on a date. I was just saying that she did not mean to intentionally offend you or me.” He carefully places a hand on Katara’s shoulder, still a bit afraid she might freeze him to the wall behind him. He continues speaking.

“And besides, you think I would have ever agreed to her, or any girl for a matter of fact? How could I ever when I already have the most beautiful, amazing girl-” 

Zuko is abruptly cut off when Katara places her hands on Zuko’s shoulders and roughly pushes him against the wall behind him and smashes her lips to his. Even though startled at first, Zuko responds immediately, kissing her back with just as much passion and roughness. One of his hands lays on Katara’s waist, pulling her flush to his body, while his other hand cups her cheek.

Both of Katara’s hands are tangled in Zuko’s hair, pushing his head down to allow her to deepen the kiss. Their tongues dance with each other, fighting for dominance. Gaining control, Katara tastes every inch of his mouth and she softly moans. She roughly pushes herself against Zuko, eliciting a groan from him. She smirks in between kisses as his hands eagerly roam all over her body as if uncharted. She mentally curses the armor covering his entire body, wanting to touch his every muscle and curve. His hands land on her bottom, pressing her against his groin. A small gasp escapes her lips before Zuko swallows the sound by capturing her lips again. He starts to place kisses along her jawline, then down her neck. Instinctively, she pushes her neck to the side to give him more access as her eyes roll back. She feels the heat in between her legs increase by the second and can feel Zuko’s arousal brush her thigh. Katara knows that if she continues for even one more minute she’ll take Zuko right then and there in some random corner in the middle of the town. So as a final tease, she grinds herself more roughly against Zuko’s groin and kisses him fiercely, before hastily pulling away.

Dazed and half-lidded, Zuko blinks hard to refocus his eyes and throws Katara a questioning look. Katara grins seductively before she straightens her clothes out and tugs at Zuko’s sleeve to get him to start walking again.

As they begin to approach the public eye again, Katara lifts herself up on her tippy-toes to Zuko’s ear and whispers, 

“...mine.”


	3. i see everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> toph confronts a clueless and confused zuko about a little something she knows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love toph and toph and zuko are bffs in my head

Toph drops herself next to a meditating Zuko on the balcony in the Western Air Temple. It is the brink of dawn when she finds the firebender. The only people awake are them and Aang, who is currently practicing his airbending somewhere. Usually, Toph would not be up so early. However, she has had something on her mind for weeks now and she _needed_ to tell Zuko before she lost another second of her blissful sleep and this was the only time someone was not around. The morning is peaceful, the only sounds are the chirping birds, the flow of the water below them, and their own breathing. However, that does not last too long. Zuko opens one of his eyes and glances at Toph before letting out a sigh. She smiles at him with her legs splayed out in front of her and her elbows behind her holding her up.

“Do you need something?” He asks. “Also, why are you awake? _You?_ ” He says suspiciously.

“In fact, I do need something,” she replies casually.

“Toph, can’t you see I’m meditating?”

“Well, actually, no. But-”

Zuko’s eyes widened in sudden realization. “Oh- yeah, right. Sorry.” His face red from embarrassment and regret.

“Yeah, whatever, apology accepted,” Toph says with a hint of urgency and indifference. 

“Anyways,” she says, stretching the word out. “I wanted to talk to you about a little something,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows.

Zuko looks at her with a baffled expression. “What are you talking about? And can we talk about it later, I’m already in the middle of something.” He spreads his hands out to express where they are and the position he is sitting in, indicating what he was previously doing.

“Uh, nope!” She says, earning an eye roll from Zuko. “And don’t play dumb with me. You think I don’t know? I know _everything,_ ” she says, specifically emphasizing the last word.

Zuko's throat goes dry. He knows what she is talking about- well, at least he thinks he does- but he prays to Agni it is not what he thinks it is. The problem is, what he thinks she knows, he’s not even sure _he_ knows. This _thing_ he’s thinking of has been nothing but confusing. 

“I-I really don’t know what you’re talking about, Toph,” Zuko says, trying his hardest to control his racing heartbeat.

Toph raises an eyebrow. “Nice try, Sparky. I can feel that racing heartbeat of yours, liar! Haha!”

Zuko scowls and rolls his eyes. _Well, I tried_ , he thinks. 

“Fine. But can you at least tell me what you’re thinking? I don’t want to tell you something completely off.” 

Toph rubs her chin with one hand as if in deep thought. “Hmm, let me think about it. Uh- no!” she says with a wide grin.

Zuko throws his head back and groans in frustration. “Why do you love making things so difficult?”

“It’s a hobby,” Toph says coolly, shrugging her shoulders.

“Okay, your choice. Because I’m not saying a word until you tell me what you’re thinking.” 

With that Zuko turns back forward and closes his eyes, places his hands on his lap, and breathes extra hard to emphasize he’s begun meditating again.

About five minutes pass before Toph grits her teeth and slams her hands on the ground below her. “Ugh, fine! I wanted to hear you spill the beans but clearly you’re not gonna! Way to ruin the fun, Sparky.”

Zuko mentally applauds himself. _I can’t believe it worked! She’s giving in._ _Let’s just hope she doesn’t kno-_

“You like Katara!” Toph pipes in with a large smile.

Zuko’s breath catches in his throat. _Damn it! She knows. Of course she does! How? Right, she’s a walking heart monitor! Is it just me or is the sun literally burning through my skin? And when did the air get so thick? Shit, now what? There’s no point in lying now. But I can’t admit to it so fast. Maybe I can convince her otherwise? How hard can it really be to outsmart a twelve-year old?_

“W-what?! I-I _do not_ like Katara! Where did you get such a ridiculous idea?!” Zuko exclaims, while mentally scolding himself for the betraying shakiness in his voice.

“Oh, please!” Toph retorts with a wave of her hands in the air. “I’m not stupid, Sparky. You _sooo_ like Katara!”

“No, I don’t. And will you keep it down before someone wakes up?” He tensely whispers.

" _Yes_ _,_ you do,” she says, surprisingly quieter.

“No.”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

Zuko grunts and pinches his nose. “Fine! I like Katara! Agni, will you be quiet now?!” 

Toph smiles in glory at his admission. “I knew it!” She laughs while poking a finger in Zuko’s face. “I knew it from the start! You think I didn’t feel the way your heart literally skipped a beat any time she would even just look at you?” She laughs some more and crosses her arms. She lets out a satisfied sigh as the sun makes its way up into the sky. “Oh, young love.”

Zuko’s annoyed facial expression suddenly forms into a shocked one, his mouth dropping as far as possible at her unexpected words. 

“L-love? Okay, now that’s too far! I am not in _love_ with Katara!”

Toph groans and rolls her eyes. “Calm down, Sparky. Just an expression, sheesh.” 

Zuko shifts uncomfortably in his seat. His deepest and most confusing secret is now not just his own. He waits anxiously for Toph to say something, _anything_ , to get rid of the tension in the air. 

_I would initiate, but what can I say? I can’t ask her for advice, she’s twelve. Plus, she’s Toph. What if she tells Katara? No way._

“Toph, promise me you won’t tell _anyone_ ,” Zuko says, nearly pleading.

Toph carelessly waves her hand in the air and replies, “yeah, yeah.”

Zuko’s trust wavers and his voice becomes stern. “Toph, please. I’m serious. If anyone-” Toph cuts him off.

“Okay, first of all, if anyone is gonna let the secret out, it’s gonna be you yourself with the way you act around Katara, Mr. Show-Don’t-Tell! I’m _blind_ and even I can see it! You should count yourself lucky that everyone here is a bunch of idiots or else this little crush thingy would’ve been outta the bag weeks ago!” Toph exclaims. “Oh, Suki is not included in the idiot category, by the way. I have a feeling she knows too.”

Zuko slaps his forehead and groans. _Is he really that obvious? What if Katara has noticed? Agni, she can’t know. Not yet._

While Zuko’s mind races with conflicting and self-deprecating thoughts, from the corner of his eye he sees Toph getting up from beside him. He quickly turns to her and watches her stretch out her arms and body followed by a long yawn. 

“Also, I shouldn’t really be telling you this but,” Toph begins, as she walks backwards, “... Katara definitely likes you too.” She laughs mischievously and Zuko’s eyes widen at her statement.

“Wait, w-what?! Katara? How do you know? Hey wait! Toph!” Zuko questions while struggling to get up on his feet.

“The same way I knew about you, stupid! Remember, I _see everything_!” She replies. 

Toph chuckles as she increases her pace walking backwards. She then swiftly turns around, thinking she reached the opening to get into the temple, but instead runs into a pillar on the balcony. She stumbles backwards slightly and scrunches her nose in pain before roughly rubbing it. In the background she hears Zuko let out a quiet “ooo” sound. 

  
“Okay, _that_ I did not see,” she says.


	4. midnight trips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> unable to fall asleep one night, katara decides to kill time by going to the lake even though it is basically pitch dark outside. however, she doesn't get very far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love awkward katara  
> this chapter was ib by beanaroony's fanart !

Katara turns to her other side again as she tries to find a comfortable position to sleep in her tent. Finding this position uncomfortable as well, she turns once more, only to find that position uncomfortable too. Two hours have passed since the group decided to retire for the night. She can assume everyone else is asleep, but she can not figure out why she is not able to. There is no full moon tonight, in fact the moon is barely visible. So why is she so restless? In the back of her mind, however, a certain reason keeps flashing. But she decides to ignore it, as she has every other time. And will continue to do so. Forever. 

Defeated, Katara grunts and sits upright. She clearly was not going to sleep anytime soon. So to pass the time, she decides to head to the lake nearby and practice her waterbending. She hopes that by practicing it will eventually tire her out. Slowly, she pushes the opening to the tent aside and peers out, scanning her surroundings.

_Spirits, I can’t see a thing! It’s so dark! Oh to be a firebender right about now… Speaking of firebenders- No! Shut up, Katara! Stop it. Firebenders? What are those? What even is fire? Humans? Never heard of them!_ Katara groans. _La, you’re a mess!_

Katara rolls her eyes at her stupid train of thought and gently steps out. All she has to do is find the lantern they had lying around somewhere and she can go to the lake. She continues slowly walking forward while uselessly squinting her eyes to give any sort of aid in this darkness. She attempts to scan the area with the faintest bit of light peering through the cloudy night sky, but it was useless. Unsuccessful, Katara decides to just keep walking around the campsite until she feels something with either her foot or her hands, which are now circling her body in an attempt to feel something, anything. 

Katara lets out a deep sigh in failure. She feels like she has been going in the same circle for the past five minutes and has still not found the lantern. She can barely navigate through the little campsite without light, so getting to the lake would be impossible. Defeated, she decides to somehow find her way back to her tent and turns around. She takes a few steps forward when she feels something hit her foot and next thing she is falling forward and hears someone let out a breathy “oof!”

Her face lays flat on something hard, along with the rest of her body. Katara gasps and quickly raises herself up onto her hands. She can not see what is under her when suddenly her obstacle becomes visible in a soft, orange glow. Katara’s eyes widen while the eyes below her are squinted, clearly getting accustomed to the light after being abruptly awoken from his deep sleep.

“Katara?” He asks, his voice now raspier from his slumber. 

Katara, whose eyes are still wide and mouth slightly ajar, quickly refocuses at the sound of her name. 

“Z-Zuko!” She nervously laughs. “H-hey! I-I’m so sorry! I was just- I couldn’t sleep and decided to go to the lake but I couldn’t see a thing and then, well, I tripped… onto you,” she says with an embarrassed grin. 

“Oh. No worries,” he responds, with a purse of his lips and a nod.

Katara is still on her hands, her body hovering over Zuko’s. Their faces are so close, she can feel his breath tickle her skin. Her heart is basically running a marathon at this point as she stares intently at Zuko under her body. Her breathing becomes short and sharp and she licks her lips. Then, suddenly the memory she has been trying all week to suppress comes flooding back. She is not even sure she can call it a memory, since it did not _technically_ happen. It was just a moment fabricated by her own imagination in her sleep. Her mind flashes her with the dream.

_Back in her room at the Western Air Temple, Katara stands in front of the small, dirty mirror as she combs through her hair with her fingers. She is humming some unknown song when suddenly she feels two hands slither across her waist then connect at her stomach. She gasps softly, but Dream Katara seems to not retaliate in any way. In the mirror’s reflection, she can’t see the person’s face as it is cut off at the end of the mirror. Her breath hitches when the person behind her scoops his head down and pushes her brown locks aside. He kisses her neck and in pleasure, Katara’s eyes roll back just as her head falls back. But right before her eyes shut, she catches the person’s hair: messy and dark, sort of raven-colored. Heat gathers in Katara’s core and her arm goes back to hold the neck behind her. In between the kisses on her neck, now making its way upward to her jawline, Katara starts to put things together._

_Messy, black hair? There’s only one person- It can’t be._

_Katara’s head shoots up to look at her reflection and the one currently kissing her exposed skin opens his eyes and meets her startled gaze in the mirror’s reflection. He smirks, his golden eyes piercing through her. He lowers his head again, moving to continue kissing her, when she suddenly turns around, her back to the mirror now._

_“Zuko?”_

_“Shh. You wanted this. You called me here.”_

_“I-I called you here?” She responds confusedly._

_“Of course you did. Why else would I be here? Touching you? Kissing you?”_

_Katara slightly frowns at his words. Why else? Hmm, let me think. Maybe because you want it too! Too? Why am I saying too?_

_Zuko’s eyes darken and one side of his mouth lifts upward. “You want this, don’t you? Us?”_

_Katara struggles to form a complete response. Her mind suddenly blank of any existing word._

_“I-I don’t know.”_

_Zuko chuckles at her coy response. “Actually, I think you do.”_

_Katara shifts her eyes to meet his gaze. She bites her bottom lip and responds._

_“Yeah, me too.” She grabs the back of his neck and lifts herself up on her toes as she pulls herself forward to ki-_

She woke up right then.

Katara is so deep in her thoughts she did not hear the multiple calls of her name in the past two minutes. She’s pulled out of her thoughts when she sees a hand waving around in her line of vision.

“Hello?” She hears Zuko question her with his eyebrows raised.

Katara suddenly gasps and throws herself off of Zuko and scrambles to her feet next to him.

“I-I am so sorry, Zuko! I-I just got lost in my thoughts and- ugh! I’m sorry! Goodnight!” She quickly turns to head back to her tent when Zuko calls her, stopping her in her tracks.

“Katara, wait!” He pauses. She can sense he is waiting for her to face him. Gathering the courage, she gradually does and he continues. “It’s still dark and considering how it went for you last time you tried to wander in the dark,” he chuckles quietly, “I don’t think it’s the best idea.”

The fire still lit in his palm, Katara can see Zuko’s concerned expression. He’s obviously not just worried about her walking in the dark, but also her odd behavior just moments ago. 

“You can go in my tent,” he tilts his head back to motion in the direction of his tent right behind him. “I was sleeping outside because it got too hot in my tent. So it’s unoccupied. You may sleep there, if you wish.”

Katara takes a deep breath as she tries to recover from her prior mortifying behavior.

_He is right. Last thing I want is falling onto another person. Imagine if I fell onto Toph. Spirits, I would totally be dead right now. What is there to contemplate, anyway? Besides, it’s not like he’s asking you to sleep with him? BESIDE. SLEEP BESIDE HIM. Oh for La’s sake, Katara! Just say yes, idiot!_

“Yes!” She spits out. She stiffens at her stupid and sort of yelled response and uneasily chuckles. “I mean, I, uh, sure! I’ll sleep in your tent. If you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t mind. I mean, I was the one who offered,” he replies with slight amusement.

“Right. Obviously,” she says in between her nervous laughter. 

Zuko motions his hand behind him, offering her to go in. She smiles and mentally begs for her feet to function properly just to walk the few feet to the tent. She somehow and very fortunately makes it into the tent and feels its flaps close shut behind her. Katara settles in and lays down and slaps her palm onto her face, covering her eyes and forehead. She mentally scolds herself, begging the spirits to let her, or just Zuko, forget every part of this night. 

She is definitely not sleeping for at least another month.


	5. look at me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zuko confronts katara about why she is pushing him away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i kinda hate this one but there's a whole lotta angst so that's a plus :)

It’s been like this for the past three weeks now. Ever since they got back from confronting Yon Rha, Katara has been behaving this way towards Zuko. When she forgave him and embraced him near the shore during that setting sun, he thought their relationship would instead actually improve.

He obviously misread the moment.

He would offer to help her cook lunch or dinner, but she would just say she can handle it, not even making eye contact with him. Then when she would serve dinner, she would look and smile and giggle at everyone but him. He’s offered to help with the dishes too and she would just tell him the same as when he offered to help cook. The tension between them at the beginning, has since only increased after facing the Southern Raiders. Zuko has recalled the trip countless times, focusing on a different moment each time. He repeated in his head the things he said, trying to see if something he said might have upset her, but nothing seemed offensive to him. However, if he did say something wrong, knowing her, he’s sure she would have said something. She is not one to hold back. Also, she for sure would not have embraced him the way she did when they got back if he angered her. 

Zuko glances up and sees Katara walking toward him now, arms carrying the group’s empty bowls. She leans down to grab his and Zuko’s eyes quickly dart to her with slim hope she will finally look at him. 

As anticipated, she does not.

Zuko fights the urge to scoff at her expected unusual behavior. He decides he has had enough. Enough of her astray manner and her constant avoidance. Whenever he’s with her, he always feels like he is walking around eggshells, afraid something he says will be “wrong”. He puts his hand over his bowl and glares at her, which she obviously does not see.

“I got it, thanks,” he says flatly as he reaches for his bowl. 

She clears her throat and simply continues going around the circle, grabbing Teo’s and Haru’s bowls on the way. From the corner of his eye, he sees her walking in the direction of the temple’s kitchen, like every other night, and he gets up from his place, bowl in hand, and chooses to go there as well. He makes his way, his walk naturally silent and stealthy as he has trained himself to over the years. When he rounds the corner, he sees her. She is at the sink, rinsing the dishes while softly humming a tune. He starts to rethink his decision to come here, not wanting to ruin the serene atmosphere she has created for herself. However, this seems like the only time they can be alone with both of them constantly occupied throughout the day. He takes a deep breath and starts to move forward. Keeping a far distance between the two, he approaches her from behind.

“Kat-” he begins softly, before she gasps and quickly whips around, her hand encased in water, ready in defense. 

She lets out a sharp breath before hastily turning her back to him again and letting the water in her hand drop into the sink in front of her. 

“Zuko, I-” she pauses. “Natural instinct, I guess.”

Zuko rolls his eyes at her evasion to look at him again. He slows his breathing down to try to calm himself, deciding it would be better if he did not start the conversation heatedly.

“I understand. But, anyways... um, Katara, I-” he rubs the back of the neck, struggling to find the words to speak his mind. He’s thought of what to say to her numerous times under the moon while everyone else was sound asleep. But suddenly, now standing in her presence, his brain seems to have wiped out anything he practiced. 

“I-I, um-” His frustration grows at his inability to form one coherent sentence. Clenching his fists, his irritability takes over.

“Why are you ignoring me?” He spits out, rather harshly. 

_Shit. I fucked up._ He thinks. He clenches his eyes shut at his sudden burst and mentally punches himself, praying to the gods to simply kill him right then and there. He hesitantly opens his eyes and sees Katara’s hands fidgeting with the bowl she was previously rinsing. The water in the sink is still running, but she’s not washing anything. She just keeps running circles around the bowl’s edge with her fingers. 

“Katara, I-I’m sorry,” he pauses and looks down at his feet. 

After a moment, his regret at his words completely wash away, being taken over by anger.

His head shoots back up, his golden eyes turning bold from soft. 

“Wait, what am I saying sorry for? I haven’t done anything wrong! I’m apologizing for speaking _my_ mind? Which is something you obviously can’t! Which is the reason I’m standing here yelling! For the past few weeks you haven’t said a word to me! Let alone, fucking look at me!” He yells, but quiet enough no one else will hear. 

“I have been trying for _so_ long just to get you to accept me. I have taken every harsh word from your mouth and I have begged for your forgiveness. I understood your anger toward me, I really did. But now, when I finally think you have forgiven and accepted me, somehow, you have been resenting me more! What's with you? I’m not asking for us to be friends or anything, but at least, I don’t know, acknowledge my presence?! You have-”

Katara bolts her head around, her face red from either anger or embarrassment and Zuko was about to find out which of the two. Her hand flies up in a stop motion and cuts off his rant. Her were eyes pointed down at the floor.

“Okay, first of all, Zuko, I don’t owe you a damn explanation. And-”

Now it was Zuko’s turn to cut her off.

“ _What?_ ” He spits. “You don’t owe _me_ an explanation as to why _you_ have been completely avoiding _me_? Are you kidding me?” He retorts.

“I don’t have to tell you! And I don’t want to tell you! So leave me alone!” She says in a strained voice to keep her volume low.

“No! I won’t just _leave you alone_ ,” he says in a mocking voice. “I have left you alone for so many days now, and now I’ve had it. Just tell me why!”

Rolling her eyes, Katara grunts and turns around once again to face the sink. Zuko clenches his jaw in fury at the sight of her back to him as before. He throws his hands in the air and grits his teeth.

“Of course! You turn your back again. This is my whole point! This is why I am standing here arguing with you! Because you keep fucking avoiding me and won’t just tell me what’s wrong!”

Katara squeezes her eyes shut and licks her lips. Her knuckles are white from her increasing grip on the edge of the sink.

Zuko continues. “I just want you to talk to me! Tell me what _I_ did wrong. Is that too much to ask? If you still hate me, just say you still fucking hate me! Don’t go hugging me one moment and then completely avoid even _looking_ at me! So if you hate me, just say you hate-”

“I don’t hate you, Zuko!” Katara shouts out, facing him again with clenched fists. Her eyes glued to her feet below.

“Okay? I don’t hate you,” she repeats. “In fact, it’s the opposite.” 

Zuko’s eyebrows knit together in confusion as his stern face instantly turns soft.

“What?” He questions.

She releases her grip on the sink and starts anxiously pulling at her fingers. She opens her mouth several times in an attempt to speak, but her tongue fails her. Zuko watches her, noticing the way her eyes are examining the ground below them as if searching for words written on it to tell her what to say next. He hears her take in a long breath before she finally talks again.

“I- When-” She stops again and he hears her mutter a few curses under her breath.

“Nevermind,” she says shortly and starts to turn around again when Zuko grabs her upper arm. She stops halfway in her movement and stiffens.

“Katara, please. You can talk to me,” Zuko says in a gentle voice for the first time since his shouting.

His hand is still holding her arm. Now, her side faces him, her face again hidden from his view. She swallows thickly and leaves his words hanging in the air over them for at least two minutes, before she finally speaks.

“You’re right. I have been avoiding you. And you’re right, I owe you an explanation. And you’re right about every single thing! You were right about it all!” She exclaims, removing her arm from his grip and now turning to him, her eyes fixed to her fidgeting fingers. Her chest was heaving from her outburst. 

“Y-you were there. You were the _only_ one there. You were the only one who saw me in my most vulnerable state. And I _hate_ that. I hate that you saw me so weak and vulnerable. And-” she pauses.

“You were the only one. You were the _only_ one who knew what would give me closure. What would finally let me be at peace with the one memory in my life that has been haunting me ever since. And it scares me. It scares me how well you know me, despite the little time we have known each other.” 

“I look at you,” she continues, her eyes still looking down, glistening with tears hung at the edge. “...and everything I once felt before, is completely gone. Every bit of anger I had towards you, I don’t feel anymore. And it scared me. For so long, I put up a wall to prove to you my strength and capability and in just one moment, it all came crashing down. So, I can’t help but worry what you must think of me now. After seeing me so… fragile and exposed.”

Zuko looks at her intently, processing her confession. He knew this was difficult for her to say because she was basically reliving her reason for avoiding him. There she was standing in front of him, vulnerable, but not like when they faced Yon Rha. When facing him, Zuko saw a strong, fearless fighter. Now, Zuko was seeing a side of Katara that pained him. He felt guilt fill his heart for causing her to react this way. Cautiously, Zuko places both of his hands on Katara’s shoulders.

“Katara, nothing has changed,” he halts, hoping she will look up. But she doesn’t. 

“Since the moment I met you, I knew who you were. A powerful, strong, and brave person. Not just as a waterbender. And after we confronted Yon Rha, you only confirmed that assumption. You showed such courage and fierceness, proving your strength further to me. I have never seen you as weak or fragile and never will, Katara. You must know that. I’m sorry if I ever made you-”

For the first time, in what felt like years, Katara’s eyes met his. She’s staring at him intensely, her eyes puffy from crying and her cheeks red and damp. 

“No, Zuko, please,” she cuts him off. “Do not apologize because you did nothing wrong. I-I was wrong. I was wrong to treat you the way I did. Instead of just facing my own confusing feelings and insecurity, I pushed you away. I should be the one saying sorry. So, Zuko, I-I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for avoiding you and treating you the way I did. Clearly my complicated feelings also complicated your life, and that was unfair.”

Zuko lets a small smile spread, his face forgiving. His hands give her shoulders a gentle squeeze before letting go.

“It’s okay, Katara. I understand completely.” 

Her gaze remains on him, soft and grateful. 

“There is one more thing I want to say,” she says quietly. She slowly reaches up and places her hand on Zuko’s scarred cheek.

“Thank you, Zuko,” she says, almost whispered. “Thank you for being there for me. For forgiving me. For understanding me. For _knowing_ me. And for that I am forever grateful.” 

Zuko leans into her touch and closes his eyes, cherishing this small moment of affection. He relives the memory of them in the Crystal Catacombs, the first time _he_ was vulnerable around her. He opens his eyes and responds.

“I can say the same to you.”

Katara smiles and rubs her thumb across his scar before letting go. Zuko already misses her touch, his cheek now feeling cold. Her back faces him again, this time not in spite, but instead just simply to finish the dishes. He lets out a small chuckle at her quick return to her chores and she turns her head to face him with a raised eyebrow. He walks up to stand beside her.

“Need some help with that?” He asks.

She smiles widely and gladly hands him a bowl.


	6. confessions in the rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zuko and katara get caught in the rain and zuko is wondering how the hell he has someone so perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm a whore for moments in the rain sigh  
> playful and teasing zutara in this one

They’re on a walk together, arms locked and fingers intertwined while her head is settled on his shoulder. When they first stepped outside the palace, the sun shone bright in the cloudless sky, splashing every corner with its warmth and orange glow. Now, an hour later, that color has seemed to dull and clouds have begun to roll in. Zuko and Katara both synchronically squint their eyes and glance up.

“Looks like…” Zuko begins.

“...it’s about to rain,” Katara finishes.

As if the clouds overheard their conversation, thunder crackles through the air. Katara raises her eyebrows and looks at Zuko, shocked at the sequence of events.

“Huh. Looks like the gods above can hear what we’re saying,” she says with an amused grin. “Hopefully they didn’t hear me tell you my plans for us tonight.” Her face expresses an “oops, my bad!” look.

Zuko chuckles at her antics and squeezes her hand a little tighter. 

"We should get back before we’re drenched,” he says as he watches the sky get grayer.

Katara slips from his grip and walks in front and faces him. He stops in his spot and watches as she spreads her arms out and then points to herself.

“Um... Hello? Master... _waterbender,_ ” she exclaims.

“Right,” he says, stretching the single word. “I forget sometimes,” he says mimicking her previous “oops” expression.

Katara quirks an eyebrow and places her hands on her hips. “You don’t seem to forget when I use it in bed. Hmm?” 

“Oh, speaking of, can you add that bending talent of yours into your little plan for tonight,” Zuko says with a teasing grin. 

Katara’s eyes widen alongside her smile. “Well, you never know _which_ bending skill I-” 

Katara is cut off when she clenches her eyes shut at a sudden drop of water on her head. Then another on her cheek, then on her arm, and then on her eyelid. She looks up and watches the rain steadily pour down and trickle down her body. In the background she can hear Zuko say something along the lines of “shit...go back...soaking wet.” Normally, she would make a joke about his choice of words but right now she’s too engrossed in being surrounded by her element. Her smile grows and she extends her arms out, inviting the rain. She laughs and scrunches her nose when a drop splashes on its bridge, tickling her. 

Zuko pushes back his now soaked hair with his fingers and rubs his eyes to remove the drops that sat on his eyelashes, obscuring his vision. He looks forward at an elated Katara, laughing as she catches droplets in her palm, and suddenly his worry about the rain or getting sick vanishes. He stands there, mesmerized by her. Her usual full brown curls, now straight, stuck to her glistening skin. Her blue clothing now snug around her beautiful body. He watches as her small hand elegantly moves in the air, a line of water trailing behind. She twirls the water around her fingers before spraying it out in front of her. Her giggle fills his ears, his favorite sound of hers. 

She turns to face him and he now sees her gorgeous face. Her smile, bright and beaming as she welcomes the rain. Her big, cerulean eyes, filled with love and positivity. Her cheeks, currently stained a shade of pink. Her plump lips, a slightly darker shade of pink than her cheeks, now slightly parted as she notices his intense stare. She is _perfect._ Every time Katara would complain about a “flaw” in her skin and he said she was perfect, he truly meant it. He really did, because to him even what she saw as flaws, he saw as perfect. He loved everything about her. He loved her imperfections just as much as her perfections. He loved _her._

“Zuko?” He hears her call out gently.

Somehow, she’s his. Somehow, he gets to wake up to her every morning, just like he gets to sleep in her arms or her in his each night. He gets to hear her unsuccessful attempts at jokes, he gets to face her teasing, he gets to kiss her, he gets to love her.

How the hell did he get so lucky? _Him?_

Zuko blinks a couple times before his lips turn upward. 

“I love you,” he says gently.

Katara’s concerned looks turns soft and she bites her lower lip. She walks forward and places her hand on his cheek. 

“And I love you, too.” With that, she leans up and kisses him. Both their bodies, cold from the rain, suddenly fill with warmth. They pull apart and she settles her forehead on his. Then, she abruptly pulls away and faces him, ceasing the short, sweet moment.

“Confessing your love in the rain? Real cheesy, Zuko,” she says with a quirked eyebrow and a teasing grin.

Zuko rolls his eyes and scoffs. 

“Yeah, well cherish it. Because you won’t see that from me often,” he responds.

“Oh, _I know._ I will hold this moment in my heart forever and ever,” she says with a beam.

“Yeah, yeah. Now come on, let's head back before we’re both struck by lightning. Don’t want that happening again, do we?” He says with a chuckle.

Katara pats Zuko’s abdomen, right at the spot where his scar from when he took lightning for her lies.

“Of course not,” she says in a serious tone. “...your majesty,” she continues in a playful voice.

Zuko chuckles and observes her use the rain to encase them in a water shield. Katara uses one hand to keep the shield up and intertwines her other hand with Zuko’s at his side. She puts her head on his shoulder again, the same way as before, and they begin to make their way back. She lets out a sigh in contentment.

  
How the hell did she get so lucky? _Her?_


	7. a little break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zuko does something katara never would have expected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one was written at like 2am so it kinda sucks sorry lol

It is nearing dusk when Zuko and Katara are sitting together beside the turtleduck pond at the Fire Nation palace. Katara twirls her fingers to form little ripples in the pond’s water, causing the turtleducks to float with her current. She smiles amusedly at the turtleduck’s flaps, protesting her control over the water. The leaves on the tree behind them rustle as a faint wind passes by. The once bright sun is gradually seeping down and the colors of the sky begin to shift to darker, deeper ones. To anyone else, this moment, this scene, would be an ideal image of serenity. However, for a certain someone, there seems to be no such moment anymore. To her right, Zuko sits there, legs crossed, reading another one of the many scrolls he had been given. He lets out a long breath and rubs his temple as he continues scanning the scroll in hand.

Katara knows the immense stress Zuko has been under this past first month as Firelord. The constant meetings, his advisors nonstop… _advising_ , and the numerous bills to review has visibly taken a toll on him. She wishes she could do something to help relieve some of the pressure on him. But understanding it is simply just the mandatory duties of his position, she usually decides to help him with little things here and there; as much as she can as a friend, at least. Sometimes she would read bills with him, help him write and practice his speeches, give her opinion on some of the nation’s ideas, and whatever else came up. But at the moment, she just wants to see him relaxed and his eyes anywhere but on a scroll. Katara turns her head to face him and places her small hand on his arm. He stops reading the scroll and shifts his focus to her in response to her touch.

“Zuko,” she begins softly. “Why don’t you take a break? You have been reading those scrolls for the past- who knows how many hours.”

He takes a deep breath and turns his head to the pond in front of them, observing the turtleducks flapping carelessly through the water. 

“I don’t think so, Katara. I have to address my thoughts on all of these scrolls by tomorrow during the council meeting and a break will only delay this task further,” he responds.

Katara’s lips turn to a small pout at his reply. “Oh come on, Zuko. Even the Firelord needs a moment or two just to relax!” 

He turns his head to the side and looks at her with a contemplating look. She raises her eyebrows in order to express her attempt to reason with him and her eyes glimmer with hope.

“Please, Zuko,” she pleads. “Fine, if you won’t do it for yourself, do it for me. I’m bored and I want to chat." 

Zuko places his free hand on his chin, pretending to be seriously pondering over her suggestion.

“Hmm, okay. I will do it for you,” he agrees.

Katara smiles widely and urges him to drop the scroll in his hand and join her to rest on the tree by the pond. She pats the grass next to her and he follows to sit, his back to the tree just like her. They chat and joke about anything but the present, not wanting to remind each other of their duties. They reminisce over some of their favorite memories throughout their journey during the war. As they talked, minutes passed and eventually, so did hours. The shades of the sky transformed from a light pink to light purple to a soft orange, then a deep red, until finally the stars emerged. 

Zuko looks up and his mouth slightly parts, Katara following his gaze seconds later.

“Wow, time flew. Looks like that moment or two of relaxation became more like two hours or so,” he says with a chuckle.

Katara’s face instantly turns apologetic and she turns to look at Zuko.

“Spirits! I am so sorry, Zuko. I never meant to waste so much of your time,” she says sincerely.

Zuko shrugs his shoulders. “It’s okay. You were right. I really needed that.” He smiles.

Katara feels her face warm up. Fortunately, it is dark enough outside to hide the embarrassment colored on her cheeks. Unless Yue betrays her and decides to shine her bright light on her. She can only pray that does not happen.

“Oh, i-it was nothing, Zuko. I was just looking out for you,” she says with a gentle smile.

Zuko turns and piles up the scrolls he had brought and places it next to him. 

“Thank you,” he pauses. “Thank you for looking out for me.”

She was about to respond with something along the lines of “always” or “I care about you”, but she never got to decide because her ability to speak vanished when Zuko placed his hand on her cheek and leaned in towards her.

Next thing she knows, her eyes have shot wide open and her gasp was cut off with his lips on hers. The contact was not gentle, but it was not fierce either. It was affectionate and passionate. Despite the shock at first, just seconds after their lips touched, her eyes fluttered shut just as her heart seemed to completely melt away. Lightning shot up her spine as the butterflies in her stomach began to flutter intensely. Time seemed to halt, the sound of the flow of the water and the leaves above them now mute. Everything became hazy as her whole mind was completely absorbed by him. So lost in the moment, she could not even process what was happening. What was _actually_ happening. She had not even _truly_ realized that at that very moment she and _her friend_ , Zuko, were kissing. All she knew was that whatever was happening, she did not want it to stop. She lifted her hand to grab the back of Zuko’s neck, but before her fingers even made contact, he abruptly pulled away. 

Zuko takes in a deep breath, then exhales and licks his lips. He pushes himself up to stand, grabbing the scrolls beside him before getting up. He turns around to face her again and nods his head with a smirk.

“Well, see you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

And with that, he strides away. His nonchalant walk luminated by Yue’s shining light, leaving a stunned Katara, still sitting half-lidded by the tree. Her mouth remained agape in disbelief as she tried to process the last thirty seconds. Everything felt so unreal, she started to wonder if she dreamt the whole thing. If that quick kiss, that felt like eternity, was just her own mind’s fabrication. She brings her fingers to her lips and feels a tingle from their kiss, proving it did in fact happen. Katara lets a small smile spread and her heart flutters as she replays the quick moment over and over again in her head. She has no idea what got into Zuko, but she knows one thing for sure. 

She was definitely going to ask him to relax more often.


	8. glad you're here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zuko and katara are the mom and dad of the gaang and cook together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> scratch what i said in the previous chapter, this one is the one that actually sucks. uhhh anyway sorry :D

There is a system now. He chops all the meat and vegetables and then she throws it into the pot and cooks. While she stirs, he sets the bowls and spoons out around the campfire. She’ll taste the food and then she will ask him what he thinks. It is the same system everyday at the same times for the past month. No moment is as tranquil as when they are cooking. When the two of them are preparing meals, everyone else is off doing their own thing; Toph would train Aang more earthbending or they would each practice on their own. Sokka and Suki...spirits know what. The only noises would be the crackle of the fire, the spoon brushing the side of the pot, the swooshes of one of Zuko’s dual swords swiftly slicing, and their own hushed conversations.

Zuko places the last bowl down before sitting next to Katara, who is kneeled beside the large pot over the fire. The aroma of the food seeps from the pot and fills their noses, causing Zuko’s stomach to growl. She lifts the spoon out and swipes her finger across before dipping it into her mouth to taste. She licks her lips and smacks her tongue before glancing at Zuko beside her.

“Hmm, what do you think?” She asks while bringing the spoon toward him. 

Zuko mimics her previous motion and plops his finger in his mouth. He leaves it there for a few seconds, savoring the various splashes of flavor that just hit his taste buds. 

“Mmm. Wow. This is great, Katara,” he claims.

Katara raises her eyebrows with a slight grin spread across her face.

“Really? Or are you just trying to be nice again? Cause you did that once and you know how that turned out,” she says crossing her arms. “Sokka didn’t stop complaining about the taste for days!” 

Zuko chuckles lightly. “I admit, I was just being nice then. But I promise, I am being honest this time. It tastes good. Really,” Zuko assures her.

Katara smiles at his response. “I know it tastes good. I just wanted to hear it from you,” she says proudly.

Zuko grins and narrows his eyes at her antics. 

“Well, we should go tell everyone dinner is ready then,” he says as he starts to push down on his hands to get up. However, Katara briskly grabs his wrist, stopping him in his movement.

“Wait,” she says and Zuko does, instantly sitting back down. He looks at her with an expression mixed of confusion and concern.

“Um, I-I’m glad you’re here, Zuko,” she says. 

She does not speak for a moment as she gets distracted by Zuko’s intense stare. His golden eyes filled with attentiveness and emotion. His brows were knit together in concern, waiting for her to continue. However, she did not know how to. There was too much she wanted to say. But she knew she had to hold back for the meantime; for herself and Zuko. She snaps out of her trance and clears her throat. 

“I mean- _uh_ \- I-I’m glad you’re here because... you are a great cooking partner! Y-Yeah! You make this task of my day a lot easier and definitely more fun,” she says as a cover up.

One side of Zuko’s lips curve upward at her confession and his expression turns soft.

“Oh. I-I have fun cooking with you too, Katara,” he responds shyly. He says nothing else, waiting a moment to see if she has anything else to say. She simply smiles at him, her cheeks stained pink and he smiles back before getting up and walking away to call the others for dinner, assuming that was all she had to say. 

  
Katara sighs and pushes her hair back behind her ears, her hair loopies falling back to the front of her face. Deep within her heart she knew when she told Zuko she was glad he was here, she did not just mean for cooking. Since he joined them, she found a friend. A friend who truly understood her. A friend who somehow knew what she needed when every time, not just when preparing their meals. A friend who would truly listen to her and take care of her, rather than the other way around like it usually was for her. A friend who made her heart skip a beat every time he would even look at her. A _friend_ who would pop in her mind frequently late at night, stealing hours of her sleep. However, she knew that for now, this was enough. This was all he needed to know. The rest will come with time and he will know how glad she really, truly is that he is here.


	9. dozed off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> katara and zuko wake up in the morning...cuddling?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i like this one bc i love awkward!zutara hehe enjoy

Katara’s eyes flutter open but quickly shuts them close again and faintly groans when the bright rays of the morning sun directly hit her face. She is slightly sitting up with her head laid to her side on something rather comfortable, while something holds her snug. Her legs are folded and her arms are draped over what she is rested upon. Unconsciously, she nuzzles her head closer, trying to capture more of the warmth from where she is leaned. She inhales deeply and then exhales in contentment. Then her eyes suddenly shoot open.

_Wait- What the hell is making me so cozy anyway?_ She thinks.

She blinks hard to get rid of the blurriness from her slumber and scans the area around her. In front of her, she spots red clothing and pointed black boots with a gold design spread out straight ahead of her. Beside the boots was a map, marked all over with red. Her heart starts to pick up its pace as Katara starts to unfortunately put the pieces together. She glances to her right and sees her arm over him, her fingers grasping his tunic. Then she smells it. She smells _him._ His unique, mesmerizing scent.

She gasps and abruptly pushes herself up, the top of her head hitting something hard. She hears Zuko wince in pain.

“Oh, ow! What the he-” Zuko begins, before stopping when he sees a startled Katara next to him rubbing the top of her head while he rubs his chin to alleviate some of the pain. 

“Katara? What are you- what are _we_ doing out here? What time is it?” Zuko asks as he squints and looks around the Western Air Temple.

Katara stares at him bewildered, her mouth slightly ajar. She wanted to speak. She wanted to say something, _anything_. But, of course, words failed her. 

“Wait,” Zuko begins. “Did we fall asleep out here last night?”

At his words, Katara recalls the previous night. Sleepless, she had found a wandering Zuko outside his bedroom too, practicing small firebending tricks. Both admitting to their inability to sleep, they decided to pass time by coming up with a backup plan, just in case. They were sure something might go wrong one day, knowing their luck, and they wanted to have a plan and a place to go if worse comes to worse. They sat in the open area of the temple, scanning and marking safe areas they could escape to on the map. As the hours went by, it seems sleep caught up to them. Next thing she knows, she wakes up wrapped in his arms. 

Snapping out of her thoughts, Katara glances at Zuko, whose turn it is now to recall the night. She sees his lips shift to a slight “O” shape and she can assume he has realized what happened too.

Katara chuckles shyly as a blush creeps up her cheeks. Zuko turns to face her and chuckles out of embarrassment. She notices Zuko open his mouth several times, attempting to say something. Finally, he is able to... kind of.

“Um...last night. W-We just- I mean... I didn’t purposely do that- I mean! Not that it would be bad if we did cud- wait! No- I-I mean it’s not like I _wanted_ to- wait-” Zuko cuts his own rambling off with a frustrated groan and slaps his forehead. He mumbles a few curses under his breath.

“Zuko, relax,” Katara says with a mask of nonchalance. 

_“Zuko, relax”? Spirits, I am such a hypocrite! Telling him to relax when I was just freaking out as well! Why was I so comfortable? And why did I like it? And why do I miss the warmth of his body surrounding mine?_ Now Katara mentally scolds herself for _her_ rambling.

“You’re right,” she hears Zuko say. “I mean it’s not like we did anything _wrong_. We just- you and me- Nothing happened! Just fell asleep,” he quickly recovers.

“Right!” Katara quickly agrees. 

“Right!” Zuko repeats while he uncomfortably shifts in his spot. He hurriedly gets to his feet and roughly straightens his tunic out.

“Um- I-I’m going to freshen up and then wake up Aang. Uh, ya know- training,” he says awkwardly as he runs his hand through his bed hair.

“Yeah, sure!” Katara says embarrassingly high-pitched. “Um, me too! I’ll prepare breakfast,” she says as she springs up.

“Yeah, okay. Cool,” Zuko says stiffly.

“Cool,” she responds, just as stiffly.

And with that the two scurry away, not bothering to pick up the map they left on the floor or look back ever again.


	10. between us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> katara wants to tell zuko something, but she is unsure if it is the right thing to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a short one  
> oh also this takes place in ember island s3

Katara peers through the thin crack of her ajar door. She scans the area, making sure no one else is awake. She extends the door further open as she sees no sign of anyone else. She slowly lifts her leg and steps forward, toes first, careful not to wake a certain earthbender. She stealthily and steadily makes her way down the hall of bedrooms in the Royal Family’s Ember Island home. As she strides with cautious steps, the floor beneath her suddenly creeks and she quickly halts in her movements. She clenches her eyes shut and grits her teeth in worry.

“Damn it,” she whispers under her breath.

Katara whips her head around to see if anyone awoke and listens for any footsteps. After a minute of silence, she releases a sigh of relief. Assured she is the only one awake, she bites her bottom lip as she lifts her foot once again to continue walking forward. She hesitantly steps ahead and lets herself breathe when the floor makes no noise. After a few more heedful steps through what seemed like an endless hallway, she finally reaches her destination.

Before her stands the wooden door, the only thing standing in her way from her goal. Its golden handle’s shine is teasing her, tempting her to just push it down. Katara inhales sharply and licks her lips. She can feel her heartbeat rapidly increasing by the second, nearly pounding out of her chest. She gently lifts her hand up and moves toward the luring handle. Just as she is about to grab the handle, her hand abruptly halts in its movement. Her hand hovers above the golden as her eyes flutter shut.

_What am I doing?_ She thinks. _Am I insane? How can I just tell him? That too in the middle of the night? What were you thinking? Waking him up while he sleeps and bombarding him with a confession about your feelings? How inconsiderate of me! I can’t do this now. But when else? I don’t even know how he feels about me. Sokka had even mentioned Zuko had a girlfriend before breaking up with her and joining us. He must still have feelings for her, I’m sure. If he did...I can’t handle the rejection. It would be too much. Maybe I shouldn’t do this. It would be unfair to put this on him while there is a literal war going on and his life on the line against his own family. I can’t do this. I can’t do this at all... ever. My feelings, my stupid crush or whatever, it doesn’t matter. It’s not important. Plus, he already has someone else in his heart. And it’s not me. It’s best I just keep it to myself and hope one day I can accept he’s not mine. It’s only fair to the both of us. Me and Zuko._

Katara withdraws her hand from the handle and lingers outside Zuko’s door for one more moment before dejectedly turning back. As she walks back this time, she does not care about the volume of her steps or any creeks from the floorboard. She halts hastily when she thinks she hears footsteps. She turns her head behind her but continues walking back to her room when she hears nothing again and does not see anyone. 

Behind the door Katara just stood in front of, a certain firebender throws himself back onto his bed and deeply sighs. He slings his arm over his face as he recalls what just happened moments ago:

Before him stands the wooden door, the only thing standing in his way from getting to his goal. Its golden handle’s shine teasing him, tempting him to just push it down. Zuko inhales sharply and nervously bites his lips. He can feel his heartbeat rapidly increasing by the second, nearly pounding out of his chest. He cagily lifts his hand up and moves toward the luring handle. Just as he is about to grab the handle, his hand abruptly halts in its movement. His hand hovers above it as his mind is suddenly flooded with thoughts.

  
 _What am I doing?_ He thinks. _Am I insane? How can I just tell her? She must be sleeping and you want to just go wake her up and confess your feelings? How could I even consider something so stupid?! I can’t do this now. But when else? I don’t even know how she feels about me. Sokka had even mentioned Aang having strong feelings for Katara. She must have feelings for him as well, I’m sure. I mean, he’s the Avatar! If she did...I can’t handle the rejection. It would be too much. Maybe I shouldn’t do this. It would be unfair to put this on her while there is a literal war going on. I can’t do this. I can’t do this at all, ever. My feelings, my stupid crush or whatever, it does not matter. Plus, she already has someone else in her heart. And it’s not me. It’s best if I keep it to myself and hope it does not consume me alive. It’s only fair to the both of us. Me and Katara._


	11. seeing you two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zuko sees katara and aang at the teashop  
> (what we didn't see during the finale)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one gives me zukka energy... i love it

It was beautiful. The sun grew into a deep golden color as it dipped into the horizon, painting the sky with various shades of pink along the way. The city below was splashed with the colors above, with some corners already in shade as the sun had passed its reach. To any witness of this moment would consider it to be absolutely alluring and breathtaking. But not for Zuko. For him, this image would be burned into his head as one of his worst memories. 

There he was with the rest of the group in the middle of the teashop, chatter and laughter coming from each direction. However, it all became muffled in his ears when he saw _them_. Behind the open large doors, they stood on the wide balcony, her arms wrapped around his neck while he held her flush against him by her waist as they kissed. Almost like out of a romance scroll, the scene played out; the war hero and the girl of his dreams finally come together after his monumental win with an ethereal visual in the back to top off the moment. 

In between the multiple conversations going on around him, he hears a gasp and Suki say cheerfully, “guys, look! Katara and Aang!”

Suddenly, all the chatter halts and words fall into thin air as every head in the room turns to the same direction Zuko had been looking for the past- _what felt like eternity_ \- minute. He could feel his heart racing, nearly pounding out of his chest and the abrupt stillness in the room only made it worse. He was sure everyone could now hear his pounding heart just as loudly as he could in his own ears. Zuko swallowed deeply in an attempt to ease the burning that crept up the back of his throat. Finally the silence is filled with squeals and “aws” from the girls, a typical brotherly statement from Sokka, and an expected blind joke from Toph. He clenches his jaw as he feels the emergence of tears sting the edge of his eyes. He wants to run, be _anywhere_ but here. But he can not leave, his hurt from seeing them two together would be too obvious to the others.

_I should have told her sooner._ He thinks. _I had so many chances. So many. And now… now I’ve lost my chance. I’ve lost her. But maybe..._

He is snapped out of his thoughts when he feels someone grab his shoulder. He turns his head to the side, finally peeling his eyes away from the new couple, and sees Sokka looking straight ahead, his face unreadable. He squeezes Zuko’s shoulder a little tighter before taking a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, man,” he whispers. 

Zuko eyes widen and he feels his breath catch in his throat at Sokka’s words. 

“W-what are you talking about?” Zuko manages to mutter out. 

Sokka turns to face him, his features gentle and his eyes filled with sympathy.

“I know...or I _knew_. I don’t know how or when I realized. But somehow...I just knew, and I’m sorry. This must be tough to see,” he says softly, so that only the two of them could hear.

Zuko exhales sharply at Sokka’s confession. Despite the aching he felt in his heart, he felt a tinge of relief at the thought that someone was there to support him. Zuko nods appreciatively at Sokka and he responds with an understanding smile. And with that, Sokka pats Zuko’s back once more before turning back to the group. Zuko inhales deeply and glances back at only Katara. 

_She’s happy… and that is all that matters. That is all I ever wanted for her. Even if that means it comes from being with Aang, I can accept it, regardless of how long it might take for the pain to subside. Now starts my journey to healing._

Zuko smiles weakly at the sight of an elated Katara in Aang’s arms before also turning away to finally converse and enjoy post-war with his friends. That is when he realized that he would actually instead cherish this special moment forever as one of the few happy memories life has given him, not a memory of sadness. A joyful memory with his loved ones.


	12. unexpected visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> two couples are interrupted of their sexc time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one might be a little bit more sukka... oops but we love this dynamic and FINALLY a chapter with some sokka and suki sheesh why did i wait so long??

Her giggles are hushed by his lips on hers as they walk toward the group of tents. It is late at night and by now everyone, but them, must be deep asleep. Just like every other night, they stayed up late to spend time together which always led to certain... _activities_. Her hands roam from around his neck into his soft hair that is only let down once the stars are out. He grips her by her waist as they stumble backward, her uncontrollable giggles occurring more frequently at their rush to get to the tent. His kisses become more fierce and she hums in pleasure while grabbing onto his tunic to steady herself. She makes quick work on the sash around his tunic, the only thing blocking her hands from feeling his bare skin. He parts from her lips to leave a trail of kisses down to the sweet, sensitive spot in her neck, making her coo.

“Shh,” he whispers into her ear right before placing a small kiss on her earlobe. “You’re gonna wake everyone up and these noises coming from you are exclusively for my ears only.”

She cups his face again and fiercely kisses him as they continue to falter backward. When they finally reach their tent, he hurriedly waves his arm behind him in order to push aside the flap to enter. Not separating for a moment, she is finally able to remove his tunic and throws it into the tent, the two of them following right behind. Just as he is about to flip them over, with her on her back, he hears a high-pitched squeal that did not come from the woman in his arms. The couple swiftly break apart and shoot their heads to their side. What they see causes their eyes to widen simultaneously alongside their dropped jaws.

“Sokka!” Katara squeals as she frantically searches for something to cover herself up. Beside her was a shirtless, and paler than usual, Zuko, who sat absolutely frozen in shock.

“Katara?! W-What the hell are you doing in _our_ tent?!” Sokka yells while wagging his pointer finger between him and Suki.

“ _Your_ tent? This is _my_ tent, you idi-”

“And... Zuko? What are you doing here?” Sokka cuts her off. “What the hell were you two doing?! And...and…”

There, in the middle of the tent, sat two furious, half-naked siblings and their embarrassed partners.

Suki places her hand on Sokka’s shoulder and gently whispers for him to relax. But, of course, it goes through one ear and out the other. Meanwhile, Katara wraps herself in Zuko’s tunic and tightly holds its sides around her top half, which she thanks the spirits, was at least still covered by her wrappings.

“Zuko, why is your shirt off? Same with you, Kat-” Sokka pauses and his eyes widen even further, enough to nearly make his eyes pop out.

“O-Oh! Ew!” Sokka screams as he dramatically clenches his eyes shut and flares his arms in the air. “T-That is _disgusting_! Katara! Ugh, gross! Bleh! And…” Sokka glares at Zuko and roughly points a finger at him. “Since when have you been... _doing_ my _sister,_ Jerkbender?!”

Zuko opens his mouth to respond but is quickly cut off by a screaming Katara.

“He doesn’t owe you an answer, Sokka!” She retorts.

From then, the “conversation” is basically a battle between Sokka and Katara simply yelling back and forth, one speaking over the other. To anyone else, but the two water tribe siblings, not even one sentence is coherent. Everything just sounds like a jumble of words and curses at this point. Zuko tries to speak several times, but is once again cut off each time by either Sokka’s rambling or another fiery comeback from his girlfriend. Eventually, Zuko gives up trying to answer Sokka’s original question since clearly, he is past caring about that now. 

He hesitantly looks to his side and sees Katara exaggeratedly groan and roll her eyes as she crosses her arms at another ridiculous statement from Sokka. Her face is red from yelling, just like it was a few minutes ago under different circumstances, before Sokka and Suki disrupted. In the midst of the one-on-one sibling quarrel, Zuko finally got to actually scan his surroundings only to realize they _were_ in fact in the wrong tent. Maybe he should have paid more attention instead of just throwing Katara into the first tent he saw. When he glances back at Sokka, he sees Suki rubbing his back again in an effort to make him calm down. Suki and Zuko catch each other’s eyes and look at each other worriedly. She mouths an apology to Zuko and he responds by mouthing,

“We’re sorry too. This is your tent, our bad.”

Suki chuckles lightly at his realization of their mistake while the two siblings next to them continue to shout and throw insults at each other. Her laughter quickly halts when the waterbender screeches beside him.

“Enough, Sokka, you half-wit!”

Sokka’s upcoming words are caught in his throat at his sister’s outburst as his mouth remains ajar.

“Yes, Zuko and I are together!” She says sternly, causing Zuko to flush at her confession. “We have been together for a month now. _Together,_ ” she emphasizes. “And while you kept rambling on like an idiot, I did realize… this is not our tent. _That_ is my fault. But everything else… I don’t need your lecture! You’re not my father! Besides, look who’s talking! You’re sitting in front of me, shirtless, and you barged in here with your hands up Suki’s top! You have no place to judge!” 

Sokka dramatically gasps and glances quickly between Suki and Katara, his eyes pleading for help from his girlfriend.

“Hey! I am your _older_ and _wiser_ brother! I can judge all I want.” Katara scoffs and mumbles the word “wiser” under her breath. “Again, I’m _older_! You’re my little sister. It’s gross! I don’t wanna see... _that!_ And, _you..._ ” Sokka hisses before narrowing his eyes at the firebender beside his sister. Zuko suddenly stiffens. “When were you going to tell me, man?”

“S-Sorry, Sokka,” Zuko mumbles. “But, to be fair, we didn’t tell anyone. So...”

“I’m not just _anyone!_ Come on!” Sokka retorts as he throws his arms in the air. “Hello? I’m _Sokka!_ Katara’s _brother!_ _Your_ best pal! Were you just going to wait for me to walk in on you two?” Sokka pouts.

“No… we, um-” Zuko roughly begins, but Katara finishes for him.

“We were just waiting for the right time, Sokka. We weren’t sure how everyone would react to us being together. So, we just wanted to enjoy each other for some time without any other opinions or complications.”

“Aww,” Suki says as she places her hand over her chest. “That’s so cute. We understand completely.”

Sokka throws his head to face the Kyoshi Warrior, his expression shocked.

“ _We?_ I never said _I_ understand, Suki!” Sokka exclaims.

Suki raises an eyebrow and places her hands on her hips. “Oh? Then I’ll just make you understand, how about that?” She responds slyly. Her tone shifts to a softer one, quiet enough only he can hear. “Sokka… Katara isn’t a little girl anymore. I understand she’s your sister, but she can make her own choices just like you. If she’s happy…”

Sokka stares at her in awe for a moment before releasing a long groan and turning to face the couple in front of him again.

“Fine,” Sokka flatly says, stretching out the single word. “I understand. Sorry for just yelling at you right from the start. I should have listened to what you guys had to say first. But I will _not_ apologize for barging in, since you guys invaded _our_ place,” he says crossing his arms. “But... even though I’m still processing the idea of you guys _together_... I guess I’m happy for you two. Zuko, you better take care of her or else I will not hesitate to boomerang your ass!”

Zuko chuckles as he nods in agreement and Sokka throws his two thumbs up in the air. “You’ve officially got the Sokka approval!” He says with a beam.

Katara and Zuko face each other and grin widely in happiness and a bit of embarrassment. Suki leans over and quickly kisses Sokka’s cheek.

“You did the right and mature thing, Sokka. You’re a great brother. You’re a great _man._ How lucky am I?” she whispers sweetly. To that, Sokka smiles sheepishly and Suki giggles at his flushed face. 

“Thank you, Sokka,” Katara says tenderly, her hands intertwined with Zuko’s. “Again, sorry for coming into your tent. Looks like while we were all up in each-”

“Stop right there! La la la la la!” Sokka blurts out as he hastily covers his ears. “I _don’t_ wanna know.”

Katara and Suki giggle and Zuko tries to curl into the shadows of the tent from the awkwardness.

“Now, if you two don’t mind...Suki and I have some unfinished business to attend to,” Sokka says with a raised eyebrow as he motions his hand in the direction of the opening to the tent. 

Katara chuckles and begins to get up, pulling Zuko up with her.

“Well...” she begins while glancing at Zuko then back to her brother. “...so do we. Goodnight!” Katara says with a wide grin before scurrying out of the tent with her hand locked with Zuko’s.

Sokka pouts at his sister’s response, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

“Ugh, she just had to bring it up again, didn’t she?” He exclaims.


	13. under the stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zuko struggles to come up with a gift to give katara for their wedding anniversary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is kinda cheesy so here's one for you fluff lovers

Zuko groans as he throws himself onto the large, grand bed in his bedroom. He takes one of the many pillows and stuffs his head into it as he mentally scolds himself. For the past three hours, he has been going through countless ideas of what to get Katara for their one year wedding anniversary. For all their past anniversaries, their gifts would be to visit each other at their homes for two weeks, each year altering between Zuko in the Southern Water Tribe or Katara at the Fire Nation. However, this year was different. They were now celebrating their first _wedding_ anniversary and Katara lived here with him now. So what would he do, visit her in the bathroom?

Zuko sighs deeply as his mind runs through all the things his wife likes. What makes this more difficult is that Katara likes nearly _anything_ and _everything._ If she were more picky, at least his list could be narrowed down and easier to choose from. But the only thing Katara has truly ever expressed dislike for is papaya and what the hell would he have given her with papaya anyway? He had considered many typical gift ideas, but of course, none worked. 

_A necklace?_ No, she already has the betrothal necklace he had given her around her neck.

_A dress?_ No, being the new Firelady, she is practically gifted with new clothing every week.

_A ring?_ No, he has already given that to her as well when they got engaged.

Zuko irritably groans again into his pillow, the sound becoming muffled. At this point, he wants to gift _himself_ by throwing himself off the balcony in his room. Why is this _so_ hard? He was sure he knew his wife completely, but for some reason, he can not come up with even the slightest decent possibility. His mind continues to think of other gifts, but it starts to wander to rather different ideas.

_I could always give her me… for an interesting night… in our bed_ . He thinks as a sly smirk spreads across his face. _Ugh, what the hell, she already gets that every night._ And just as fast, his smirk disappears.

He tries to remember conversations between them, something she might have said that could give him an idea. Then, one of his favorite moments with her flashes in his mind. He recalls the ethereal moment and how important that little memory was to him. Suddenly, his eyes widen and he jolts up, sitting straight on his bed. 

_That’s it. I’ve got it._

Zuko smiles and quickly rushes out of the room to prepare his gift before their anniversary tomorrow. 

_______

  
  


Zuko pulls her out into the garden with his hand intertwined with her small one. She giggles as she follows behind him into the dark of the night. 

“Zuko, what are we doing out here?” She asks amusedly. “It’s a bit chilly, you know?”

Zuko looks over his shoulder and smirks before turning back around.

“What? A _W_ _ater Tribe_ girl complaining about _the cold?_ Don’t you all practically live in snow?”

He hears Katara chuckle behind him. “Ah, yes. But it seems I have gotten quite used to the weather in the Fire Nation,” she replies.

Zuko stops in the middle of the garden and swiftly turns around and drops her hand only to instead drape his arm over her shoulder. His gaze is set on the night sky above, glistening with millions of stars and a near full moon.

“Kat…” he begins. “Did I ever tell you when I realized I was in love with you?”

He now turns to look at her and he notices her staring at him intensely. She nods her head indicating he has not.

“Well… do you remember that night, in the Southern Water Tribe? Years ago? We were laying in the snow at night-”

“Oh, yes, of course!” Katara cuts him off. “It was beautiful… that night.”

“Yeah,” Zuko says softly. “That night, under the moonlight and the glimmer of the myriad of stars in the sky… Agni you looked even more beautiful. Not just that, but listening to you talk with so much love and honesty… I was in awe. And the way you listened to me too, giving every word I spoke every bit of the same amount of attention. I knew that there was no one else as beautiful as you in and out. That was when I realized, Katara. Under those stars, that was when I realized I was in love with you.”

Katara’s eyes glistened under the moonlight as tears threatened to fall down her cheeks. She inhales deeply before releasing the breath and blinking, letting the tears prickle down.

“Oh, Zuko…” she begins before turning to face him. “That’s so sweet. And thank you, for the things you said about me. You sure have proven you have outgrown your inability to express your romantic side,” Katara says with a chuckle and Zuko grins sheepishly. 

“Do you want to know when I realized I was in love with _you?_ ” She asks.

“Maybe later. But first...” Zuko starts before grabbing Katara’s hand again and walking a little bit further to a telescope that he placed in the garden a few hours ago. He guides her there and positions her in front of him to face the telescope. “Look through here.”

She looks at him curiously before bending down to peer through the small hole of the telescope.

“Hmm, I see stars?” Katara says confusedly.

“Yes… but you see the one right in the middle?” Zuko responds.

“Uh, I think so?”

“Here,” Zuko says before grabbing her waist from behind to pull her away from the telescope. He holds her flush in front of him and bends down so his head is aligned right next to hers. He holds her arm and points it upward to a star. “That one, right there.”

Katara squints and her mouth parts slightly at her concentration to look at what is special about the star Zuko is pointing to. 

“Oh, yes, I see it! But… what’s special about it?” She asks.

Zuko moves away from behind her to stand next to her, his hand still wrapped around her waist.

“It’s yours,” he says and Katara quickly turns to face Zuko, who is still looking at the star. “That star is yours. I got it for you and it’s named after you. The best thing that ever happened in my life happened under the stars, under the beautiful moonlight that night. I realized my love for you and found the woman of my dreams that night. No moment will ever be as important as that to me. That is my gift to you. Happy anniversary, Katara,” Zuko says with a smile as he turns to face his wife.

“Zuko.. this is wonderful! Thank you!” Katara says as she leaps into his arms and affectionately embraces him. Her arms are wrapped tightly around his neck as Zuko holds her with the same grip around her waist. She loosens her hold on him and pulls away to kiss him passionately. 

“You big romantic,” she teases with a smile after they break apart.

Zuko scoffs and chuckles before kissing her cheek. “What can I say, you’ve ruined me.”

Katara raises an eyebrow proudly and places her hand on Zuko’s scarred cheek.

“So… what did you get me?” He asks curiously with a smile. 

“Oh? Is that all you care about right now? What _you’re_ getting?” Katara asks playfully.

“I mean…” Zuko begins, but Katara stops him mid-thought when she pulls herself up onto her tiptoes to reach Zuko’s ear.

“Well… my gift waits in our bedroom, on the bed, in a shiny golden box. How about we go check it out, hm?” She whispers sultrily in his ear.

Zuko swallows deeply and looks at his wife’s darkened eyes, filled with lust. 

“Now we wouldn’t want to keep the box waiting, would we?” Zuko asks teasingly.

“Absolutely not,” she responds with a grin. 

  
With that, Zuko bends down and swiftly slides his arms under Katara’s legs and back and lifts her up, earning a squeal from her. He quickly kisses her lips before rushing into the palace to go receive _his_ gift and end the night off right, just as he would every other night with his other half.


	14. confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zuko and katara tell aang about their new relationship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is messy and short i'm sorry school is kicking my ass bleh  
> also this takes place during s3b

“Okay, there he is,” Zuko says and Katara anxiously turns her head behind the tent to look.

She nervously chews her bottom lip as she pulls at her fingers. Noticing, Zuko grabs both her hands gently in his and he ducks his head a little lower to look at the girl in front of him.

“Kat… relax. Look, I’m nervous too. But, this is Aang and even if he is mad at first, I know he will come around,” he says assuredly.

Katara lets out a deep sigh and she intensely stares into Zuko’s golden globes. She softly smiles at the way just his touch or the way he looks at her can calm her down in seconds.

“I know, you’re right. I-I just… how can we tell him? Especially when I _know_ how he feels about me?” Katara asks.

“Well,” Zuko begins. “...just because he likes you, that does not mean you _have_ to like him back. It’s your life, Kat.”

Katara licks her lips and nods her head sternly in understanding. “Yeah… yeah,” she says again more confidently. “You’re right, _again_ ,” she chuckles. “Whatever happens, happens. Let’s go.”

With that, Zuko and Katara move away from the tent they were hiding behind and anxiously walk towards the airbender, who is currently facing away from them petting and feeding his flying bison. When the couple gets closer, he notices their presence and whips his head around.

“Oh, hey you guys! I was just feeding Appa, want to help?” Aang asks elatedly.

“N-Nice! A-Actually, Zuko and I wanted to talk to you, Aang,” Katara says roughly.

Aang furrows his eyebrows and looks between the two of them, both having a stern smile plastered on their faces.

“Okay, what about?” He asks curiously.

“Uh… well,” Katara begins, but stops when she worriedly glances at Zuko for assistance. Zuko quickly catches her plea for help and opens his mouth to speak.

“Oh, uh… well, you see, Aang, uh… we wanted to tell you,” Zuko manages to mutter out before Aang cuts him off.

“Tell me what? Wow, you guys are sweating like crazy! This must be some really crazy news! What is it?!” Aang persists.

“Um, Aang, Zuko and I…” Katara begins before looking at Zuko once more and then intertwining her hand with his. “... we’re together.”

Katara hears her boyfriend by her side let out a breath of relief and she clenches her free hand tightly together, waiting for a response from the airbender. Her nails dig into her skin from the intense grip, but at the moment she could care less. Aang simply raises an eyebrow and tilts his head to the side.

“Well, duh! Obviously you’re together!” Aang exclaims while laughing. “I’m not blind like Toph!”

Zuko and Katara shoot their heads to their sides to face each other, eyes wide, before turning back with their jaws dropped.

“ _Huh_?!” The couple spits unisonly in shock.

“What? You guys _are_ together. I mean, you’re standing next to each other, so you’re _together_ ,” the airbender explains. “That’s all you wanted to tell me? A silly joke? I think even Appa can say a better joke than that, you guys. You can let go of each other’s hands now, I get it!” He says with a wide grin.

“Wait, wha-” Zuko starts before realizing what Aang thinks and he slaps his hand on his forehead. “Aang, wait… you got it all wrong,” he says.

“Oh, is that not the joke? Is that the setup? Okay, I’m ready, hit me with the real joke. It better be funny!” Aang responds happily. 

“Aang, no- just listen. Look, we aren’t joking,” the waterbender says carefully while waving her hand in front of her to stop Aang from continuing. “We’re _together._ Like, _boyfriend_ and _girlfriend_. We wanted to tell you _that_.”

Aang’s delighted face gradually drops to confusion and then eventually, realization.

“Wait… together? Like, _together_ together?” He asks, concerned.

“Yes,” Zuko replies softly. “It only officially happened this week, but we’ve had feelings for each other for a while now. We just wanted you to be the first to know.”

Aang glares at the two of them in disbelief at the words coming from their mouths.

“Wha- but… _Katara_? H-How… you knew how I felt about you! And for some reason, I don’t know… I thought you felt the same,” Aang says dejectedly.

“Aang…” Katara begins gently. “I care about you so much, I do. But just, not in the same way as you. I am so sorry this hurts you, but please understand we never meant for this to cause you pain. But I will not apologize for how I feel about Zuko.”

Aang is looking anywhere but at the couple in front of him. He looks at his feet, the sky above, the swaying grass below, the ocean to his left, _anywhere_ but them. 

“I-I’m sorry, I want to be happy for you guys…but I just can't. Not right now. I need time… and space,” Aang almost whispers at the end, before swiftly grabbing his staff and gliding away.

Zuko and Katara quickly step forward and call out his name but the airbender is far into the distance, where their small voices will never reach. Katara rubs her temples in disappointment and Zuko places his hand on the small of her back.

“I never wanted to hurt him,” Katara says.

“I know and so does he. Like I said, Aang will come around. And hey, on the bright side, at least he didn’t squash me with his earthbending like we thought he might last night,” Zuko says in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Katara lets out a small chuckle. “I guess so. I don’t know how I’d feel about being in a relationship with a flattened Zuko who would fly away with just one gust of wind. So, this is probably better.”

Zuko chuckles and throws his arm around her shoulders. 

“He’ll be back and then we can have a _real_ conversation with him. Don’t worry,” Zuko tells her. 

Katara nods her head and the couple turn around to head back to their campsite. 

“Next obstacle… your brother,” Zuko says with a groan and Katara lets out a loud laugh while dropping her head onto Zuko's shoulder.


End file.
